Vending-machine.



PATENTED JULY 7, 19 08.

E. J. HAVBRLY.

VENDING MACHINE. APPLICATION TILED APR. 24, 1907.

INVENTOR 2 SHETS-SHEET l.

WlTNESSES:

ATTORNEY No. 892,956. PATENTED JULY 7, 1908.

E. J. HAVERLY.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 24. 1-907:

2 SHEETS-SHEBT 2.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR a W. sxmgw UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

ELMER. J. HAVERLY, OF SAYRE, PENNSYLVANIA.

VE NDIN G-MACHIN E To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELMER J. HAVERLY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sayre, in the county of Bradford and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vending-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in coin controlled vending machines, wherein a number of different articles may be offered for sale; my object being to provide a simple and effective mechanism whereby, when a coin is deposited in the slot designated for the article desired, said article may be delivered from the machine by the operation of a rock shaft common to all the ejecting mechanisms.

I attain my object by constructing the machine in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a complete vending machine embodying my improvements, parts being broken away to show the interior mechanisms; Fig. 2, a ver tical transverse section through the machine; Fig. 3, a detail of the ejecting mechanism, showing a coin in operative osition therein; Fig. 4, a similar detail with the ejecting mechanism for one of the magazines thrown forward in the act of discharging a package therefrom; and Fig. 5, a plan view of the mechanism with portions broken away so as to fully disclose the different parts thereof.

Like numerals designate like parts in the several views.

The machine consists of a plurality of vertical magazines 1, supported above the ejectingmechanisms within a suitable inclosing case; said magazines being adapted to receive small boxes or packages in which the various articles offered for sale are put up. The lower end of each magazine is closed by a tilting bottom 2, supported by an arm 3 rising from a hub 4, which is loosely mounted upon the rock-shaft 5. This rock-shaft extends from one end of the machine to the other and projects, at one end, outside of the inclosing case, Where it is provided with an operating crank 6.

Positioned between the magazines are a plurality of chutes 7, pivotally mounted up on a rod 8, which passes across the machine in front of the magazines. At the rearward end, these chutes are provided with downward extensions 9, open at the bottom and at Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 24, 1907.

Patented July 7, 1908.

Serial No. 370,089.

the forward end, and closed at the back, through which extension a coin deposited in the chute will drop upon a shelf 10 which shelf I show in the form of a flattened pin bent at right angles and secured to the cross bar 11, which passes across the machine below and at the rear of the magazines. The chutes are provided with rearwardly extending arms 12, which are slotted to engage the pins 13, which rise from cross bar 11; and the forward ends of the chutes are coupled by light coiled springs 14 to the front wall of the casing, to maintain the chutes in operative position, and in alinement with the shelves 10. The object of thus hanging the chutes is to provide means for tilting them forward from between the magazines, so as to get at them to clear them from slugs and other obstructions which may be deposited therein, and which will not pass out through the extensions 9. Openings 15 at the rear end of the chutes are provided for inserting a rod for the purpose of so cleaning out the chutes.

A bottomless pocket 16 is formed upon the end of a rock-arm 17 positioned adjacent to each of the bottom supportin arms 3; said pocket being ada ted to slide 1n between the extension 9 and i316 shelf 10, and the arm 17 having its hub 18 fastened to the rock-shaft so as to be thrown forward thereby when the crank 6 is pulled to the front. A projection 19 on the arm 3 extends over the forward end of the pocket 16, and is adapted to be engaged by a coin deposited in said pocket, in the manner illustrated more clearly in Fig. 4; there being a three-point engagement of the coin between said projection 19 and the rear wall 20 of the pocket 16, by reason of the curved form of the projection; whereby, when the bottom is being thrown forward in the act of ejecting a package, the coin will be firmly held between the pocket and the said projection, by reason of the resistance offered to such motion by the bottom.

To return the bottom to its normal position, after a package has been ejected, the pin 21 is fastened into the arm 3, so as to project across the rear end of pocket 16, said pin being positioned a slight distance away from said pocket when a coin in the pocket bottom of the machine, where a suitable receptacle will be provided to receive it.

For the purpose of ejecting the packages, a ledge 22 is formed across the rear end of the bottom 2, and to prevent the packages from falling through the magazine, when the bottom is tilted forward, a curved extension plate 23 is provided at the rear of the ledge 22, said extension being supported on the branch 24 from arm 3.

As I have found that the resistance to the tilting movement of the bottom ofiered by the packages is not enough to insure the proper locking of the coin between the projection 19 and the pocket 16, I provide for further frictional resistance by positioning a coiled spring 25 at the rear of each hub 4;, the ends of the coil being brought forward and sprung over the hub at top and bottom, and one end being carried forward and fastened in the partition 26, which separates the coin chamber from the package chute. This spring, in gripping the hub, provides frictional resistance suflicient to insure the look ing of the coin on the forward motion of the rock-arm 17, and the release of the coin when said rock-arm is thrown to the rear.

A package, when ejected from a magazine, is deposited from the bottom 2 upon the delivery chute 27, which is carried out beyond the front of the case in the usual manner. As there is a tendency for the packages to tilt upward by reason of the pressure of the superposed packages upon the rear end thereof, just before the package is ejected from the magazine, I provide, opposite each ma 'azine, an inclined stop 28, which prevents t e upward movement of the outward end of the package, and directs the package downward so that it will drop upon the delivery chute in the position shown by broken lines in Fi 4.

Io return the rock-arm 5 to normal position, and hold it there, I provide at one end of the machine an arm 29 fastened to the rock-shaft, and coupled by a coiled spring 30 to the rod 8 which supports the coin chutes; this spring having a suflicient tension to overcome any resistance offered to the rearward throw of the rock-arms when operating one or more of the ejecting mechanisms. The rock-shaft 5, rod 8, and cross bar 11, are supported by metal brackets 31, at each end, said brackets being suitably fastened in position within the case.

The front32 of the casing, and the inclined slot table 33 are fastened together, and are adapted to be removed for the purpose of refilling the magazines, or getting at the interior mechanisms; said parts being locked in place by suitable means. The front piece 32 is provided with a glass at 35, through which the magazines may be inspected to ascertain the position of their contents therein, and also through which may be displayed beside each magazine a sample of the article contained therein. The coin slots 84 in the table 33 are. located at the left hand side of each magazine.

In operating the machine, a coin will be deposited through the slot adjacent the magazine containing the article desired, dropping thence into the corresponding chute 7, the outward end of which 1s made flaring to properly direct the coin into the chute. The coin then runs down and through the extension 9' into pocket 16 on the proper rock-arm 17, Where it rests upon shelf 10. The crank at the side of the machine is then drawn forward, thereby moving all the rock-arms forward and bringing the coin into engagement with projection 19, which operates the bottom for the magazine selected, thereby locking the arms 3 and 17 together and causing the tilting bottom to be thrown forward to eject the package from the magazine. As soon as the coin is brought into proper engagement with projection 19 it passes off from shelf 10, being thereafter supported simply by means of the three-point grip between projection 19 and rear wall 20 of the pocket. When the crank is released, the spring 30 causes the rockarms 17-to travel to the rear, thereby bringing the pocket 16 which contained the coin into engagement with the pin 21 belonging to the bottom which has been tilted, and throwing the bottom back to its normal position; the coin being released in the manner already described. The bottoms of the remaining magazines are unaffected by this operation of the rock-shaft and rock-arms, since they are held back by the frictional engagement of the packages resting thereon, and of the springs 25 engaging their hubs 4. Should a coin be deposited in one of the chutes 7, when the rock-arms 17 are thrown forward, it will not be lost; since it will, by reason of the inclination given to the shelves 10 be held thereupon after dropping through the extension 9 and, upon the return of the rock-arms to normal position, the coin will be raised and dropped into the pocket 16, the rear wall of the pocket being beveled at the upper rearward side to effect this.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination, with a magazine, of a rock-shaft below the magazine, an ejecting device carried by an arm loosely mounted on said shaft, a rock-arm fastened to the shaft and provided with a bottomless pocket at its free end, a coin-chute adapted to deliver a coin into said pocket, a stationary shelf upon which the coin ,rests when delivered into the pocket, a projection from the arm carrying the ejecting device adapted to be engaged by the coin when the rockarm is thrown forward, and means for releasing the coin and returning the ejecting device to normal position when the rock-arm is returned to its initial position.

2. The combination, with a magazine, of a rock-shaft, an ejecting device carried by an arm loosely mounted on said shaft, a rockarm fastened to the shaft adjacent to said arm, means for delivering a coin to the free end of said rock-arm, gripping means on the two arms whereby the coin will be held between them when the rock-arm is thrown forward to lock the two arms together, means for moving the arms apart to release the coin on the backward throw of the rockarm, and means for subsequently locking the arms together to return the ejecting device to normal position when the rock-arm is returned to its initial position.

3. The combination, with a magazine, of a rock-shaft below the magazine, a tilting bot tom for the magazine supported u on an arm which is loosely mounted on sair shaft, a rock-arm fastened to the shaft adjacent to said arm and provided at its free end with a bottomless ocket, a coin-chute adapted to deliver a coin into said pocket, means for holding the coin within the pocket when the rock-arm is in retracted position so as to project above the pocket, a curved projection on the b0ttom-carrying-arm extending over the pocket and adapted to engage the coin at two points on its periphery when the rock-arm is thrown forward, means whereby the rock-arm will engage the bottom-carrying-arm on its return movement after the coin has been released from the pocket to return the parts to normal position, a spring to effect the return motion, and a crank outside the machine to operate the rock-shaft for the forward motion.

4. In a vending machine, the combination, with a magazine and coin controlled ejecting mechanism therefor, of an inclined chute adapted to conduct a coin from the coin slot to said mechanism, said chute being pivotally mounted in the machine, whereby it may be tilted away from the mechanism for the pur ose set forth, and means for normally holding the chute in a fixed position with relation to said mechanism.

In testimony whereof I have afliXed my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

ELMER J. HAVERLY.

Witnesses:

IKE SAMUELS, CHARLOTTE E. GRAY. 

